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Our family styled, large party menu is available for all parties of 8 or more. Spend more time with your friends and family at the table, and let us take the guesswork out of how much to order! Dietary restrictions and allergy exceptions can be made. A la carte options are also available.

Our family styled, large party menu is available for all parties of 7 or more. Spend more time with your friends and family at the table, and let us take the guesswork out of how much to order! Dietary restrictions and allergy exceptions can be made. A la carte options are also available.

Tables are reserved for a dining time of one hour and 15 minutes. If you wish to dine longer please let us know at least 24 hours in advance, and we will make special arrangements, if possible. Reservations more than 15 minutes late shall be cancelled to seat other guests.

Valet parking is available for dinner service by Next Level Valet for $10.

The backspace is available for intimate yet casual dinners for up to 50 guests with a buyout of the pizzeria. It is a prime location for birthdays, wedding receptions, corporate events, luncheons, happy hour – the list goes on!

Fill out our Event Inquiry form to start planning your event at the backspace!

Located literally in the backspace behind chef Cirkiel’s iconic Parkside is Austin’s first Neapolitan pizzeria. Founded in 2010, the backspace is a rustic, 30-seat intimate space off 6th street highlighting the best of Italy. Our antipasti are the perfect start to a meal at the backspace; infusing a copious amount of seasonal ingredients and flavors into a tapa-sized portion. Our pizzas are made with Italian-imported flour and tomatoes to reflect Neapolitan-style standards and then cooked in our brick oven, the centerpiece of the dining room. Guests can complement their dining experience with an all-Italian beverage list, including classic Peroni on tap. Since opening, the backspace has been rated some of the best pizza in the US.

As a part of Parkside Projects, the backspace shares a passion for top-level service and utilizing the season’s freshest ingredients. Parkside Projects includes: The Backspace, Parkside, Olive & June, Bullfight, and 800 Congress. Go to Parkside Projects for more about who we are.

Shawn Cirkiel’s creativity and innovation in the kitchen have made him one of Austin’s most coveted chefs and restaurateurs. Cirkiel opened Parkside in 2008—the city’s first gastro pub—to much fanfare. The accolades continue on for this sophisticated spot, which also houses Cirkiel’s second restaurant, The Backspace on downtown Sixth Street. Shawn then brought an updated version of family-style Southern Italian dining to Central Austin with Olive & June, and most recently, Bullfight, an authentic Spanish restaurant featuring a variety of small, shareable plates off Airport Blvd. While different in concept, each of Cirkiel’s restaurants share a passion for top-level service and promotion of sustainable cooking. Cirkiel’s passion for local and seasonal food extends beyond the scope of his restaurants and has become a driving force behind his notable community engagement.

Cirkiel’s devotion to sustainable cooking and the community is evident by his involvement in many projects, including an initiative at Austin’s Highland Park Elementary, where he has helped develop healthy-eating, exercise, and gardening programs. Cirkiel is also a founding chef of the Sustainable Food Center’s Farmers Market in downtown and a past board member and secretary for the Sixth Street Austin Association, which has been fundamental in raising funds to restore the legendary district. And while the chef maintains a high profile around town and in the media—he’s been noted in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Food Arts, Cooks Illustrated, Bon Appetit and the Los Angeles Times—Cirkiel doesn’t stay out of the kitchen for long.

Where to Find the Best Pizza in Austin…with a pedigree that includes a degree from the CIA, and stops at The French Laundry and Café Boulud, it’s not a huge surprise that chef Shawn Cirkiel’s restaurant Parkside has been a huge success.

Austin’s 10 Coziest Bars & Restaurants…. The Neapolitan brick pizza oven inside the backspace does more than just produce delicious pies; it also radiates warmth and adds ambiance to the tiny space. Arrive early or plan to score a spot at the bar or at a table in the space, which is more New York intimate than Texas huge.

The Slice Is Right: Rustic pies come out of a custom, wood-fired Forni Cirigliano oven from Italy that yields perfectly charred dough bubbles, while wine barrel bar seating, low-hanging lanterns, art deco stained glass and artfully peeling paint give the intimate, hearth-warmed space an Old World feel. …. While the focus is on the Neapolitan-style pizza, with creative toppings…small plates and seasonal specials are not to be missed.

The Essential Austin Pizza Restaurants….This Neapolitan pizzeria from chef Shawn Cirkiel is a welcome alternative to downtown’s drunk pizza scene. The wood-fired oven is straight out of Naples.

The best pizza in 11 big cities around the US…the thin-crust pizzas at this casual Austin staple have locals coming back thanks to its delicious sauce and heavy-handed toppings. The happy hour is a great deal, too, with half off antipasti, beer, and wines by the glass.

Backspace sits right next to its sister restaurant Parkside in the hearth of sixth street. The place makes really great Italian style pizza and exists for that night you want to impress your better half. They have a great wine selection and the space is warmly lit so it feels that maybe you’ve left Austin and hopped over to Italy for a few. Space is pretty limited in there so I suggest calling ahead.

Best Italian Restaurants in the U.S.

Taking his inspiration–and following through–from the original pizzaioli of Naples itself. Cirkiel had at great expense a handcrafted pizza oven shipped over (it took forever), and he and his crew have really learned how to work that fiery furnace to produce impeccable pizzas with the right thickness, cornicione edge, and crackling, bubbly, charred surface with a fine balance of ingredients on top, none of which betray Neapolitan traditions.

Austin Hottest Attractions: Shawn Cirkiel has opened his second concept, backspace, a 30-seat trattoria serving thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas from an Italian brick oven and handmade charcuterie.

Inspired by the legendary pizzerias of Naples, Chef-Owner Shawn Cirkiel announces his newest restaurant, the backspace, serving authentic Neapolitan pizza and artisanal antipasti. Hip, casual and affordable, the backspace will offer a selection of pizzas, antipasti, salads and desserts… The star will be the Neapolitan pizza, known for its unique thin, chewy crust.

At Parkside Projects, our principle is to hire quality over quantity. Many of our staff have been with us more than a few years and many since the beginning of their restaurant careers. As a great source of pride, many of our managers and chefs began their careers with us. As well, other members have also become leaders of some of the best restaurants across Austin.

While we love to promote from within, we love meeting new people to grow our Parkside Projects family. Experience is important, but passion and hard work are fundamental. Please email us your resume and tell us about yourself at careers@parksideprojects.com.

Located literally in the backspace behind chef Cirkiel’s iconic Parkside is Austin’s first Neapolitan pizzeria. Founded in 2010, the backspace is a rustic, 30-seat intimate space off 6th street highlighting the best of Italy. Our antipasti are the perfect start to a meal at the backspace; infusing a copious amount of seasonal ingredients and flavors into a tapa-sized portion. Our pizzas are made with Italian-imported flour and tomatoes to reflect Neapolitan-style standards and then cooked in our brick oven, the centerpiece of the dining room. Guests can complement their dining experience with an all-Italian beverage list, including classic Peroni on tap. Since opening, the backspace has been rated some of the best pizza in the US.

As a part of Parkside Projects, the backspace shares a passion for top-level service and utilizing the season’s freshest ingredients. Parkside Projects includes: The Backspace, Parkside, Olive & June, Bullfight, and 800 Congress. Go to Parkside Projects for more about who we are.

Our family styled, large party menu is available for all parties of 8 or more. Spend more time with your friends and family at the table, and let us take the guesswork out of how much to order! Dietary restrictions and allergy exceptions can be made. A la carte options are also available.

Our family styled, large party menu is available for all parties of 7 or more. Spend more time with your friends and family at the table, and let us take the guesswork out of how much to order! Dietary restrictions and allergy exceptions can be made. A la carte options are also available.

Tables are reserved for a dining time of one hour and 15 minutes. If you wish to dine longer please let us know at least 24 hours in advance, and we will make special arrangements, if possible. Reservations more than 15 minutes late shall be cancelled to seat other guests.

Valet parking is available for dinner service by Next Level Valet for $10.

Located literally in the backspace behind chef Cirkiel’s iconic Parkside is Austin’s first Neapolitan pizzeria. Founded in 2010, the backspace is a rustic, 30-seat intimate space off 6th street highlighting the best of Italy. Our antipasti are the perfect start to a meal at the backspace; infusing a copious amount of seasonal ingredients and flavors into a tapa-sized portion. Our pizzas are made with Italian-imported flour and tomatoes to reflect Neapolitan-style standards and then cooked in our brick oven, the centerpiece of the dining room. Guests can complement their dining experience with an all-Italian beverage list, including classic Peroni on tap. Since opening, the backspace has been rated some of the best pizza in the US.

As a part of Parkside Projects, the backspace shares a passion for top-level service and utilizing the season’s freshest ingredients. Parkside Projects includes: The Backspace, Parkside, Olive & June, Bullfight, and 800 Congress. Go to Parkside Projects for more about who we are.

The backspace is available for intimate yet casual dinners for up to 50 guests with a buyout of the pizzeria. Whether your special occasion is a wedding or rehearsal dinner, an anniversary or birthday party, a business dinner, or a casual happy hour, our desire is to join you in creating lasting memories as you share a special and personalized meal with family, friends and colleagues.